#natgeospace

‘Galactic’

One of my throwbacks to when I visited Canada in early 2017! Wow it’s been 3 years since I was out exploring the stunning scenery Alberta has to offer!

Trifid Nebula - After a three month break due to bad weather, illness and injury, it was great to get under the stars again last night! This time I tried one of the most popular winter winter targets: Messier 20, the Trifid Nebula. This emission/reflection nebula pair sits in Sagittarius towards the Milky Way core at a distance of 5200 light years.Telescope: 8“ f4 Newtonian
Camera: ZWO ASI1600-MCC
Mount: NEQ6

40x5min - 3:20hrs total exposure
Processed in Pixinsight and Lightroom

Centaurus A - One of the brightest galaxies in the sky, Cen A is also the brightest radio source in the night sky. A huge and unusual galaxy it is extremely active in all wavelengths from radio to gamma rays. The distinctive dark dust lane is visible even in a powerful pair of binoculars. At a distance of 10-16 million light years, it is believed to be the result of the merger of two galaxies and now contains a supermassive black hole 55 million times the mass of the sun at its core.This is my second attempt at this object, the first being two years ago. In that time I have improved every aspect of my astrophotography and an very pleased with the sharp detail I captured in the dust lane as well as some of the subtle structure in the outer shells of stars far away from the centre.Telescope: 8“ f4 Newtonian
Camera: ZWO ASI1600-MCC
Mount: NEQ6

43x5min - 3:35hrs total exposure
Processed in Pixinsight and Lightroom